Amazon.it joins the 24th annual Food Drive organized by Banco Alimentare in Italy

Amazon.it joins the 24^th annual national Food Drive, a historic initiative organized by the Italian Food Bank Banco Alimentare, an association that promotes the collection and redistribution of food surpluses across Italy. From December 1^st - 10^th, customers can participate in the Food Drive online by choosing to donate from a selection of products ranging from ready-made sauces, meals, snacks, cookies, baby food, and canned food, available on a page dedicated to Banco Alimentare. Local Italian radio station, Radio Kiss Kiss is providing additional support to the initiative by broadcasting the extraordinary stories from the daily event’s activities and engaging its listeners to help drive the Food Collection on the Banco Alimentare page on Amazon.it.

Amazon and Banco Alimentare have been working together annually since 2015. The Italian Food Bank has been providing surplus food from the Amazon logistics network as well as those collected through the active participation of volunteer Amazon employees. This year, the Food Drive moved online to adapt to the current restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 health emergency. Amazon.it offers the possibility for customers to continue making donations online from products available on its store. Amazon kicked-off the Food Drive by making the first donation of 500,000 meals to the Italian Food Bank.

From December 1^st - 10^th, Amazon.it customers can visit the Banco Alimentare page and add products from the selection there to their shopping cart to purchase as a donation. Once the transaction is complete, the selected donations will be sent directly to the Food Bank's warehouses. From there, they will be distributed to over 8,000 charitable organizations across Italy providing for over 2.1 million people in need.

The selection available to customers for donation on the page include shelf-stable food, ready-made meals, baby food, canned products and more.

"It is a real honor for us to be able to support the Food Drive, a gesture of goodwill that has benefited millions of Italians for years and, in this time of emergency, has become even more important," said Giorgio Busnelli, Director Consumer Goods Amazon.it and Amazon.es. "The commitment to this initiative is also very much felt by our employees, who have always looked forward to participate in the Food Drive Day each November. Providing our store with a selection of products from Barilla, Rio Mare and Plasmon, and giving our customers the opportunity to donate in support of the people most in need, as part of the natural evolution from a lasting collaboration between Amazon and the Food Bank that we are happy to continue over time. Working with Radio KissKiss is a pleasure to best tell the extraordinary stories of people that we will be able to support thanks to everyone's effort".

"Radio Kiss Kiss is proud to support Banco Alimentare and Amazon, amplifying the solidarity shown at the activities put in place for this initiative, raising awareness among listeners and ensuring that they can make their contribution, especially at such a difficult time for our nation," says Lucia Niespolo, President of Radio Kiss Kiss.

"This year, the Food Drive has needed to adapt to the recent health security reasons," says Giovanni Bruno, President of the Fondazione Banco Alimentare Onlus. "We have created a 'dematerialized' collection, which will take place in supermarkets, through gift cards, and online. For this reason the partnership with Amazon and their support has been particularly valuable. It is a complex period in which more and more people are in difficulty and it is therefore important to be able to use all possible channels available to keep solidarity alive to continue to help those in need. Online spending in recent months has become an increasingly central part of daily life for many families and having partners who can enable you to donate food using this method is fundamental”.

"This year, the Food Drive has needed to adapt to the recent health security reasons," says Giovanni Bruno, President of the Fondazione Banco Alimentare Onlus. "We have created a 'dematerialized' collection, which will take place in supermarkets, through gift cards, and online. For this reason the partnership with Amazon and their support has been particularly valuable. It is a complex period in which more and more people are in difficulty and it is therefore important to be able to use all possible channels available to keep solidarity alive to continue to help those in need. Online spending in recent months has become an increasingly central part of daily life for many families and having partners who can enable you to donate food using this method is fundamental”.

In Italy, Amazon regularly donates surplus food products to the Italian Food Bank Banco Alimentare, through its logistics centers. It started out with the first distribution center in Castel San Giovanni in 2015. Tons of food donations have been added over the years, in parallel to the growth of Amazon itself in Italy. Today, Amazon also makes donations to the Food Bank from its distribution centers in Passo Corese, Vercelli, Torrazza Piemonte and PrimeNow urban distribution centers in Milan and Rome, with an average of about 20 tons of food donated every six months. Last April, in the face of the COVID-19 emergency, Amazon donated an additional contribution that allowed Banco Alimentare della Lombardia to distribute the equivalent of 2 million meals to people and families in need within their region, so that no one would be left behind.